Automatic signaling device operated by the oscillations of the rails



June 21, 11932. N. GHERASSIMOFF AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICE OPERATED BY THE OSOILLA'IIONS OF THE RAILS Filed Feb. 19, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 21, 1932. N. GHERASSIMOFF 1,864,016

AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICE OPERATED BY.THE OSCILLATIONS bF'THE RAILS Filed Feb. l9, 1951 4'Sheets-Sheet 2 June 21, 1932- N. GHERASSIMOFF AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICEOPERATED BY THE OSCILLATIONS OF THE RAILS Filed Feb. 19, 1951 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIO I Min/q:

1/ 216 Mazda;

June 21 1932. v N. GHERASSIMOFF AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICE OPERATED BY THE OSCILLATIONS OF THE RAILS Filed Feb. 19. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT or'rlcr.

NICOLAS GKEBASSIMGFF, OI BOIS-OOLOMBES, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T0 SOCIETE DAVERTISSEUR FERROVOIE, OF PARIS, FRANCE AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICE OPERATED BY THE OSCILLATIONS OF THE RAILS Application filed February 19, 1931 Serial No. 517,060, and in France December 15, .1930.

Conformably to the invention the slow cs 18 ci llation of the rails is-applied for the purpose of operating the signalin devices,that is to say the movement of fair y large amplitude, but comparatively slow, which is imparted y to a given section of the rail by the passage of each axle of thetrain over the said section.

Whereas the vibrations utilized up to the present are capable of being transmitted by the rails over consider-able distances and whereas any section of the rail is the seat of vibrations of this kind setup by the whole number of the axles of a train, the movement applied, conformablyto the invention is only that which is imparted to a given section of the rail in successionby the axles passing over this particular section.

In actual practice the result is that this oscillation occurs at a freqi iency far inferior to sonorous frequency. he amplitude of this movement however is in the neighbourhood of from one to two centimetres and the available energy is very great.

.In order that the movement of the rail relatively to the ground may be utilized, it must determine a relative movement of the organs of the warning device, that is to say that the warning device must include at least one organ which does not partici ate in the movement of the rail. This may e effected either by connecting this organ elastically to the rail and making it massive and consequently possessing inertia, or preferably by fixing it to the ground which is immovable.

In addition the invention aims at certain w means of making use of the mechanical energy available in the rails. Itmay conveniently be converted into electric energy causing the slow oscillations of the rails to cause the relative displacement of the two portions of the magnetic circuit of a permanent magnet or of an electro-magnet, and by placing, on this circuit, a coil in which electric currents will be induced by the variations in the magnetic flux thus set up. The low frequency alternating current thus obtained from this generatormay be ledjthrough conductors which may be constituted by the rails themselves or by the earth, to electric lamps or to electro-m'agnets actuating optical signals, ringing gongs or closing the contacts of secondary electric circuits. The movement of the pallets of these electro-magnets may be damped or given a moment of inertia suflicient to cause them to remain attracted throughout the time taken by the whole train in passing over the electric generator. They may also be contrived in such a way as to become locked in the position to which they are attracted so that they must be freed by hand.

Another object of the invention is a warning or signaling device in which the slow oscillations of the railway rails or cross-ties, instead of being converted into electric energy, are suitably amplified so as to be applied to the automatic control of a device breaking and making a circuit including an independent supply of current of suitable tension and warning or signal-emitting apparatuses of any approved type. As a general rule this device comprises a system of organs of transmission connected to the rail and located inside a protecting housing fixed to the ground, these organs actuating a lever intended, as the case may be, to break or make the warning circuit.

In one form of embodiment of the invention, which is the preferred fornnthe system of transmission organs is essentially constituted by a rack rod or bar acting inconjunctionwith a toothed pinion fitted to the axis of rotation of the switch lever with a cone clutch interposed between the toothed pinion and the said lever.

Conformably to this invention this rack rod or bar is connected, by meansof another rod fitted with a certain number of knuckle joints, to a mushroom shaped piece supported at the end of a bracket fixed to the rail or to the cross tie of the railway track.

In the attached drawings a certain number of methods of embodiment of the invention have been shown as examples.

Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal section of the track fitted with an electro-magnetic emitter; i

Figure 2 is a partial cross section of the track fitted with another electro-magnetic emitter;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic View of an electromagnetic receiver;

Figure 4 represents the details of an alternative embodiment of the receiver in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a profile view, partly in section, of another method of embodiment of the invention; on this figure the protecting housing is assumed as having been removed;

Figure 6 is a part section of the apparatus shown in figure 5;

Figure 7 shows the same apparatus inserted into the warning circuit.

The emitter of a warning device made conformably with the invention, whether it be electric or mechanical, can only operate when a train passes over the section of rail with which it is connected. It must therefore necessarily be located at a certain distance from the receiver and the warning devise is therefore always constituted by two distinct groups of apparatuses.

. Figure 1 shows an electric current emitter of simple construction. A permanent magnet 2 is firmly anchored by means of stirrup piece 3 in the ground 1. An armature 4, the length of which very nearly approximates the air gap of magnet 2, is clamped to rail 5 by means of cheeks 6 made of non-magnetic metal. The lower extremities of these cheeks extend downwards so as to always remain between the poles of the magnet thus guiding the armature. The latter is fitted with a coil 7 the end 8 of which is connected to the rail while end 9 is earthed (in the diagram it is connected to stirrup 3). When the rail is in its normal position, armature 4 remains above magnet 2, but it penetrates into the air gap when the rail yields as a train passes over it. The magnetic circuit of magnet 2 is then closed, and there occurs a variation in the magnetic flux which induces electro-motive force in winding 7. An electro-motive force of contrary direction is produced when the armature rises again and this phenomenon occurs again at the passage of each axle of the train.

If however the displacement of the armature thus obtained is considered insufficient it can be amplified by fitting armature 4 to the end of a lever 10 actuated by rail 5 through connecting rod 11. 1 Lever 10 is pivoted in jaw 12 clamped to a plank 13. This plank, which is anchored in the soil by means of metal clamps 14, also supports magnet 2, stirrup 3 being screwed onto this plank.

In order to guide the electric current travelling through rail 5 towards the receiving post, rail 5 is insulated from the adjacent rail pointing in the opposite direction. Assuming the receiver to be located to the right of the emitter shown on the drawings it is the left hand end of rail 5 which is to be insulated from the adjacent rail 15. For this purpose the fish-plates 16 of this rail joint will be insulated from rail 5 by insulating shims which are not shown and another insulating shim maybe inserted in the rail-joint. Near the receiving post the current is taken from rail Sand led, through wire 18 towards the receiving apparatuses. Section 5 of the track which acts as a conductor is insulated from the next rail 19 in the same way as at the emitting. post. The tension of the current induced in coil 7 is comparatively low (being in the neighbourhood of one volt) and the wood cross ties 20 are sufficient to insulate rail 5 from the earth.

From wire 18 the current passes into the winding of an electro-magnet 21 and then returns to earth through wire 22. At each pulsation of the current electro-magnet 21 attracts a pallet 23 oscillating on a flat spring 24 which tends to maintain it in its furthermost position. Pallet 23 is equipped with a movable point 25, which on its being attracted, makes contact with a fixed point 26. This contact causes the current to pass in an independent circuit comprising a source of current 27, wire 28, contact 25-26, a bulb 29 (or any other electrically controlled warning apparatus) and return wire 30. In addition pallet 23 is fitted with an elasticblade 31 which bears a hammer 32 which strikes on a gong 33. a

The method of functioning of this contrivance is evident. The slow oscillations of rail 5 induce currents in winding 7, these currents traverse a circuit composed of rail 5, electromagnet 21 and earth 1. These currents cause the oscillation of pallet 23 which sounds the gong 33 and closes contact 2526 of the auxiliary circuit. a

It would be possible to arrange by already existing means for pallet 23 to remain attracted during the whole of the time the train is passing over emitter 7 by giving it a sufiicient mass or by fitting it with a damping device. Figure 4 illustrates a pallet 23 oscillating about an axis 34 and held in its removed position by spring 35. The pallet is connected by a connecting rod 36 to a piston sliding in a dash pct 38. When damped in this manner or when it possesses a sufficient moment of inertia, the pallet only responds to the medium action of the alternating current delivered by emitter 7 and remains attracted as long as it continues to function.

It is also possible to fit the electro-magnet 21 with a catch engaging with lug 40. The 5 pallet is thus bolted in the position to which it is attracted and it maintains contact 25-26 in the closed position until it is released by hand. This arrangement makes it possible, in particular, to utilize only the powerful current impulses set up by the passage of the 10- comotive.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 the device comprises a protecting housing 61 inside which a rack 101 rod or bar 100 is free to move, the rack co-op-erating with a toothed pinion 102. At its upper end rod 100 is connected, through a ball-joint 108, to a rod 104 which, in the embodiment illustrated, is made up of two parts which can be moved nearer to or further from one another by an appropriate maneuver of nut 105. The upper part of this rod 104 also comprises a ball-joint 106 by means of which it is connected with mushroom piece 67 supported by the free end of a bracket 65 clamped by bolts 66 to a rail 5 (or to the cross tie) of the track. A nut 107 and a lock-nut 108 ensure a ositive connection of bracket 65 with ball]oint fitted rod 104.

Under these conditions the oscillations of the rail set up by the passage of the train are transmitted by means of bracket 65 and rod 104 to the movable bar 100 the rack 101 of which is in engagement with pinion 102.

On the extension of spindle 109 of pinion 102 a lever 7 2 is pivoted, the travel of which is limited on the one hand by fixed check stud 73 and on the other hand by a contact stud 74 connected to one pole of a battery while the other pole of this battery is connected with an earthing plate 82. A cone clutch 110 is interposed between lever 7 2 and pinion 102 and drives lever 72 by friction when pinion 102 moves over an angle. It is therefore obvious that through the action of the oscillations of rail 5 rod or bar 100 actuates lever 72 through rack 101 and pinion 102, and brings it up against fixed stud 74 thus closing the warning circuit; the driving of the lever by the pinion is effected by the cone clutch interposed between those two organs.

The apparatus which has just been described is particularly advantageous on account of the simplicity of its construction. It offers a further advantage that its functioning is in no way aflected by the possible subsidence of the ground when a train is passing over the rails of the railway track. It is indeed possible to give a sufficient length to rack 101 to ensure that it shall always remain in engagement with pinion 102 even when it suffers a displacement downwards due to the aforementioned subsidence.

Another characteristic peculiarity of the 65 invention is the articulated connection between rod 104 and mushroom piece 67 on the one hand and bar 100 on the other hand; thanks to the method of connection of the said rod it is capable of moving laterally so as to avoid the fractures which often occur in the apparatuses known up to the present.

Figure 7 illustrates in an absolutely diagrammatic manner the warning circuit including rail 5, apparatus 61 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, an independent source of current, such as a battery 81 and an earthing plate 82; the receiving post is shown at 83.

The device above referred to may be modified in its details without in any way altering the economy of the invention. Thus rod 104 may be built up of one or several parts; it can also be fitted with any desired number of ball-joints.

I claim:

An indicating or signaling device adapted to be operated by the oscillation of the rails or ties of a railway during the passage of a train comprising, vibration transmission members, a pivoted lever, a pinion coaxial with the pivot of the lever, a conical clutch connecting said members to said lever, the parts of which clutch are mounted upon the pivot of said lever, between the transmission members and the pinion, electrical signaling means and a circuit adapted to be closed by said lever for operating said electrical signaling means.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

NICOLAS GHERASSIMOFF. 

